Sailboat accidents

[antonioornelas]

Can someone help me find statistics on how many people died per year in sailboat accidents ?

[UNCIVILIZED]

I don't have a number, but it has to be incredibly low. You might try US Sailing. Keep in mind too, that you'll need to specify the size range (& probably type) of the boats you're looking for data on. I'm curious as to why you're attempting to find out???

[David M]

An accident sounds as if there was a collision. Forgive me if I am wrong. Far more people die from not wearing a PFD than collisions. (Page 48)

There are stats for boating accidents. Page 50 has the stats for the different types and vessels and deaths.

Sailboats, statistically, are relatively safe.....relatively speaking that is.

Personal watercraft are notorious for being the type of watercraft where people are killed.

https://www.uscgboating.org/library/...stics-2016.pdf

[Stu Jackson]

BoatUS should have some. Not worldwide though. But you didn't say where, either.

[Mike OReilly]

Here’s the USCG database on recreational accidents, including deaths. Lots of fun:

https://bard.knightpoint.systems/Pub...e/Report1.aspx

[hellosailor]

David-
Somewhere in that PDF, do they say what the 55% of deaths, not caused by drowning, were caused by? I note that there were only drownings on "sailboats" but 55% of the deaths on "auxiliary sailboats" which is what most of us really sail on, were not drownings. (Alcohol stove fires perhaps?(WEG))

[masonc]

Almost all boating accide nts ate alcohol related. My sister in law was PR for Florida fish and game so she had to be at the accidents, said it was all booze related. Except when a gator ate someone's kid.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Anton.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by masonc

Almost all boating accide nts ate alcohol related. My sister in law was PR for Florida fish and game so she had to be at the accidents, said it was all booze related. Except when a gator ate someone's kid.

According to the USCG accident database alcohol rates sixth on the “accident causes” list, but number one when deaths are involved.

This database covers from 2005 to 2016. It is mandatory to report an accident if it causes injuries or deaths, or causes more than a few thousand dollars damage, so in theory this database should give a pretty good picture of boating risks.

Of the total 55,100 reportable events in those 11 years (which covered all reportable accidents). "Open motorboats" accounted for 33,131. This is followed by "Personal watercraft" with 15,199 and then "Cabin motorboat" with 10,776. "Auxiliary Sail" makes the list with 3,107 accidents.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

According to the USCG accident database ...

See ➥ Accident Statistic

And ➥ Statistics

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by GordMay

See ➥ Accident Statistic

And ➥ Statistics

Yes. Same data, but in PDF format, and a nice analysis in each year. Thanks . The one I linked to uses the same data but allows for active polling. You can get to it from the Statistics page, or you can follow the direct link I posted below (and here).

Some of the highlights from the 2016 executive summary report:

• Eight out of every ten boaters who drowned were using vessels less than 21 feet in length.
• Alcohol use is the leading known contributing factor in fatal boating accidents;
• Operator inattention, operator inexperience, improper lookout, excessive speed, and machinery failure rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.
• Where data was known, the most common vessel types involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (47%), personal watercraft (18%), and cabin motorboats (15%).

It’s important to note (as the report does) that there were 11,861,811 recreational vessels registered by the states in 2016. In that year there were 4,463 accidents, so by any measure, boating is very safe. And if you further consider that the vast, vast majority of these accidents occurred in non-cruising boats (mostly small open motorboats or PWC), the real risk to for cruising sailors is vanishingly tiny.